Cover image courtesy of Sportpix
Part of a powerful brigade of top-class mares, Sea Siren has firmly established herself in the Coolmore operation, regularly visiting some of the best stallions in the breeding industry.
Ahead of her most successful daughter, Warm Heart, running on Sunday in Hong Kong, and her latest offering going through the ring at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in January, The Thoroughbred Report caught up with Tom Moore to talk Sea Siren, Camelot and the success of Fastnet Rock as a broodmare sire.
Warm Heart’s formidable record
One of the most exciting visitors for Hong Kong International Raceday this Sunday is Warm Heart, an elite-level filly who has consistently performed at the highest level this year.
After winning the Listed Newbury Fillies’ Trial S. in May 2023, she has gone on to be a consistent fixture in the upper echelon of the 3-year-old fillies races in Europe, winning the G2 Ribblesdale S. at Royal Ascot, the G1 Yorkshire Oaks and the G1 Prix Vermeille at Longchamp.
Most recently, she travelled to Santa Anita to compete in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf, a race in which she fought out a thrilling finish, narrowly losing out to a charging Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}).
Warm Heart (Ire) | Image courtesy of Megan Ridgwell
Out of a three-time Group 1 winner in Sea Siren, her success rounded out a long-term plan from Coolmore to capatalise on her ability.
“Sea Siren was an incredibly talented racemare, she won three Group 1s here in Australia, one of the best daughters of Fastnet Rock and she was bought specifically by Coolmore to be taken to Ireland to visit Galileo,” Moore told The Thoroughbred Report.
“Subsequently, Warm Heart was a produce off that, and she’s been incredibly successful this year. We’ve followed her with great interest, as we have with all of the sons and daughters of Sea Siren, of which she is the best by far.
“The mare's only had five foals to race, so to produce a multiple Group 1 winner and Royal Ascot winner amongst them is a great achievement.”
“The mare's only had five foals to race, so to produce a multiple Group 1 winner and Royal Ascot winner amongst them is a great achievement.”- Tom Moore
Warm Heart will have plenty of competition greeting her ahead of her quest to claim a third Group 1, including West Wind Blows (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), Shahryar (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and Lebensstil (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}) set to line up in the 2400-metre event.
Exciting Camelot colt up for grabs in January
Sea Siren is one of a number of top echelon mares to be represented in the 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, with an August foal by Camelot on offer as Lot 147. Part of the Coolmore Australia draft, which boasts 58 offerings across the sale, Moore believes the continuation of the Sadler’s Wells (USA) cross will reap success for the colt down the track.
Coolmore will offer Lot 147, a colt by Camelot (GB) (pictured) from Sea Siren at the upcoming Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale | Standing at Coolmore Ireland
“Fastnet Rock mares as we know are particularly well suited to Galileo and the Sadler’s Wells line in general. This particular Camelot colt, which is catalogued as Lot 147 for the Magic Millions in January, is bred on a cross that is proven and one that has worked time and time again.
“Camelot himself has been successful in Australia through the likes of Sir Dragonet and Russian Camelot, this colt is a quality individual who we think will go down well at the sales.”
“Camelot himself has been successful in Australia through the likes of Sir Dragonet and Russian Camelot, this colt (Lot 147) is a quality individual who we think will go down well at the sales.”- Tom Moore
Across his stallion career, Camelot has sired 105 runners in Australia, and a further 12 in New Zealand. His success is undeniable, 68 of his 105 Australian runners have won (including 16 at stakes level), and 10 of his 12 New Zealand runners have greeted the judge first as well.
Alongside Sir Dragonet (Ire) and Russian Camelot (Ire) that Moore referenced, Camelot has also had success through the likes of Hunting Horn (Ire), King Of Leogrance (Fr) and Cleveland (Ire), all three of whom have won at Group 2 level in Australia.
Lot 147 could end up competing for massive prizemoney, with Moore adding, “He’s full of quality, he’s a real athlete, and while he might not look like the type of horse that’s going to be up and running and competing in the (R. Listed) Magic Millions 2YO Classic, there are such great incentives that Magic Millions offer to train on to three and older.”
“He’s (Lot 147) full of quality, he’s a real athlete...” - Tom Moore
“For this particular colt, there’s a number of races they (prospective buyers) can target for significant prizemoney.”
Now offering an incredible $14.25 million in prizemoney and bonuses, the Gold Coast Magic Millions Raceday, held on January 13 in 2024, the carnival has plenty of options for trainers and connections to find a suitable race.
Away from the R. Listed Magic Millions 3YO Guineas, which is run for $3 million in prizemoney, options like the R. Listed Magic Millions Cup and the Magic Millions Subzero H. provide horses out of the sale a chance to compete for $1 million in prizemoney, even if they weren’t early 2-year-old types.
Coolmore's Marketing and Nominations, Tom Moore | Image courtesy of Inglis
“He’s continued to improve, he takes everything in his stride and we think he’s going to be one of the highlight lots up at the Magic Millions in January.”
You can’t have enough Fastnet Rock mares
Sea Siren began her breeding career in monogamous fashion, visiting the legendary stallion Galileo (Ire) no less than six times consecutively between 2015 and 2021. As well as the aforementioned Warm Heart, the pairing has also produced 2-year-old winners Celestial Object (Ire) and Bremen (Ire), as well as Arbutus (Ire), who was victorious over 2600 metres.
With Galileo’s passing in 2021, new stallions needed to be found, and Coolmore have taken the opportunity to use Sea Siren’s pedigree to diversify who she visits.
“From our perspective, we feel like you can’t have enough Fastnet Rock mares,” Moore explained, “Obviously Sea Siren was a hugely successful racemare, and she’s already produced a multiple Group 1 winner.
“From our perspective, we feel like you can’t have enough Fastnet Rock mares... Sea Siren was a hugely successful racemare, and she’s already produced a multiple Group 1 winner.” - Tom Moore
“When you look at the results of Fastnet Rock mares, as a broodmare sire he works with just about anything, so you’re not limited in options for where you can send these Fastnet Rock mares.”
The deeds of Fastnet Rock as a broodmare sire certainly isn’t breaking news within the breeding industry, but the staggering numbers behind his success bears mentioning.
Fastnet Rock | Standing at Coolmore
Now with 1918 runners as a broodmare sire, he has 1200 winners to his name, a winners to runners strike rate of 62.6 per cent. Of those 1200 to win a race, 102 went on to win a black-type race, 61 of those winning at Group level.
At the highest level, Fastnet Rock has produced 10 Group 1 winners as a broodmare sire, including Santa Ana Lane (Lope De Vega {Ire}), Zougotcha (Zoustar) and Joliestar (Zoustar), who won the G1 Thousand Guineas S. in November.
Another success of Fastnet Rock as a broodmare sire is Warm Heart, with Sea Siren’s visit to Justify (USA) being a potential future hit, according to Moore.
Sea Siren's 2023 colt foal by Home Affairs | Image courtesy of Coolmore
“As is widely publicised, he has a great affinity with Galileo and the Sadler’s Wells line but also with Justify. We saw last weekend with the very impressive debut win from Storm Boy, who is a son of Justify out of a Fastnet Rock mare, he was offered through our draft at the Magic Millions earlier this year,” he told The Thoroughbred Report.
“Learning To Fly, one of the best 2-year-old fillies of that generation is bred on that cross, as well as Star Of Justice who is a Group winner in New Zealand this season already.
“Learning To Fly, one of the best 2-year-old fillies of that generation is bred on that cross, as well as Star Of Justice...” - Tom Moore
“It’s a cross that has been hugely successful, so that’s a big part of the reason Sea Siren visited Justify this year.
“In the first season of Home Affairs, we wanted to support him with some of the best mares that we have that would be suitable to him, as a high-class sprinter such as Sea Siren, we thought she was a suitable mating for Home Affairs, who was fast and precocious. He was the winner of the Coolmore and the Lightning, and we’re happy with the colt that she produced.”
